Procedures to Govern the Process of
Selecting a New Chair
Department of Mathematics
Adopted April 1998
Amended April 2000
For the purposes of this document, "faculty member" or "department member" or
"department faculty" shall include any person holding the rank of full-time Senior
Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor in the Department of
Mathematics of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Visiting and Emeritus
members are not eligible to participate in this process. On an election by election basis
and by a majority vote, the faculty may decide to include instructors (half- or full-time) to
participate in the process of selecting a chair.
1. During the semester immediately preceding the conclusion of the existing chair's
appointment, the chair shall circulate the document "Roles and Responsibilities of
Department Chairs" (Laws of the Regents, Appendix B, October 1990) to all
department members.
2. The existing chair shall issue a call for nominations for individuals to be considered
as candidates for the next department chair. This call for nominations will be in
written form, and will go out to all members of the department. Any faculty member
is eligible for nomination. Self-nominations are permitted.
3. If the existing chair has not been nominated or is not willing to serve another term,
then the existing chair shall determine each nominee's willingness to serve. If the
existing chair has been nominated and is willing to serve as chair for another term,
then the department will select by majority vote a non-nominated member to act as
chair selection coordinator. The chair selection coordinator will then determine each
nominee's willingness to serve.
4. A ballot of candidates, consisting of all those nominees who are willing to serve as
department chair, shall be distributed to all department members.
5. If there are no nominees who are willing to serve, then a department meeting shall be
held to determine an appropriate course of action.
6. Prior to the department vote, candidates will have the opportunity to discuss their
candidacies at a department meeting or through a position paper, if they so choose.
7. Voting shall be by a secret ballot. An election period shall be defined in such a way
as to give all faculty members sufficient opportunity to vote.
8. It is the responsibility of all department faculty to vote in this election. The
department secretary shall maintain a list of those faculty who have voted.
9. At the close of the established election period, the ballots shall be counted by the
existing chair (if he/she is not standing for reappointment) or the chair selection
coordinator (in the alternative case) , together with the department secretary.
10. The following procedures shall be followed in order to determine the winner of the
election.
(1) If there is only one candidate, the election will be held as a Vote of Confirmation.
The ballot will read:
__
I support the nomination of candidate XXX.
__
I do not support the nomination of candidate XXX.
If a majority of the votes cast are in support of the nomination, then the candidate
shall be declared the department's nominee for the chairmanship. If a majority of
the votes cast do not support the candidate, then a department meeting shall be
held to determine an appropriate course of action.
(2) Ifthere are two candidates, then the candidate receiving the majority of the votes
cast shall be declared the department's nominee. In case of a tie, there will be
another round of balloting with the same two candidates' names appearing on the
ballot. If this second round of balloting again results in a tie vote, then both
candidates' names will go to the Dean of the College. The Dean will select the
nOInlnee.
(3) If there are three or more candidates, then any candidate who receives at least half
of the votes cast shall be declared the department's nominee. Ifno candidate
receives at least half of the votes cast, then a ballot containing the top two
candidates from the first election shall be distributed, and an election will be
conducted as described in paragraph (2).
11. The name of the department nominee, along with all election results, shall be
forwarded to the Dean of the College .
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